


a different path

by Nyodrite



Series: the forgotten [1]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 21:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18747472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyodrite/pseuds/Nyodrite
Summary: "Okay.” his brother breathed, face in that lost and pained expression the twenty year old got whenever faced with something that hurt him but wasn’t something that could be fixed. “What changed?”“You got accepted at the Showcase.” Hiro answered simply before expanding after letting the statement settle for a moment. “There were so many brilliant projects- it was amazing- and a lot of the inventors were also young, not as much as me but enough that I wouldn’t be that much of an anomaly.”Tadashi seemed unsure on if he should be pleased or confused, “Then why botfighting and saving all that money? This year’s Showcase is coming up and you could easily invent something in that time to earn yourself a full tuition scholarship also.”“But I don’t want that.” he said.





	a different path

**Author's Note:**

> so i've been looking at old docs and found out i started a bh6 fic way back when and thought I'd share it - and some other lost/forgotten bits of writing.
> 
> **Date Written:** _March, 2015_

“You okay?"

Hiro glanced at his brother, "Yeah."

"Are you hurt?" Tadashi persisted.

He looked behind them, checking to see if they were being followed. "No."

"Then what were you thinking-!?" his brother demanded, hitting him with one hand. "Knucklehead!" Tadashi turned the moped around when they reached a dead end, continuing his tirade. "You graduated from high school when you were thirteen and  _ this  _ is what you do with-"

A shout from Yama and his goons interrupted but Hiro was already moving, tossing Megabot and using it to knock open a door he was familiar with. "Tadashi!  _ There _ !"

"Hiro! You can't just-!" another shout had his brother driving in the door and through the hallway before skidding to a stop before Mrs. Matsuda (dressed in a nightgown that made Tadashi turn purple and advert his eyes). "M-mrs. Matsuda!"

Leveling a shotgun, Mrs. Matsuda’s gaze was beyond them, “Yeh best be leavin’ now, Yama, an’ with yah lackies- yer kind ain’t welcome here.”

“Yama will remember this.” the man swore before leaving.

Hiro had a half-second of gleeful satisfaction before he was cringing in pain from a knock to the back of his head, “ _ Ow! _ ”

“Dun’ whine, brat, how many times have yeh been told tah not break meh door?” Mrs. Matsuda scolded, walking to shut the door and drag a dresser in front of it to keep it closed- absently greeting his brother. “Brat drag yeh along tah a fight, college boyo?”

Tadashi took a moment to rally, “Er, no? I just was going to bring him home.”

“Yeh’ll need tah make a stop first- brat’ll need tah deposit his winnings.” the old woman stated, ignoring his frantic gesturing to be silent.

His brother, unfortunately, didn’t. “Deposit for what?”

Pale green eyes glanced at him then pointedly at the door before answering, clearly stating that this was her revenge. “Brat’s been saving up money in the bank tah go tah school with yeh, college boyo. Now, get outta meh home.”

Tadashi, whom very obviously gained more questions, clenched his jaw to remain silent as he walked the moped to the front door- dreading the upcoming conversation as he was, Hiro couldn’t really enjoy that Yama and his goons had exited the alley only to walk into the waiting cops’ vision. The silence between them lasts past sneaking into their room where in his brother takes the time to pace a bit before finally speaking.

“I thought you didn’t want to go to college- you call it  _ Nerd School _ and say that they’d only be telling you things you already know...so why-?” Tadashi cut off with a frustrated noise. “Hiro, help me understand-  _ please _ .”

It was the please more than anything that finally got him to respond. “Originally yes,” he started slowly, trying to articulate his reasoning properly. “High school  _ sucked _ , I  _ hated _ it- being viewed as a child yet lauded as a genius up until I started correcting people at which point I was just hated- and had little reason to believe that college would be any better.”

“Okay.” his brother breathed, face in that lost and pained expression the twenty year old got whenever faced with something that hurt him but wasn’t something that could be fixed. “What changed?”

“You got accepted at the Showcase.” Hiro answered simply before expanding after letting the statement settle for a moment. “There were so many brilliant projects- it was  _ amazing _ \- and a lot of the inventors were also young, not as much as me but enough that I wouldn’t be that much of an anomaly.”

Tadashi seemed unsure on if he should be pleased or confused, “Then why botfighting and saving all that money? This year’s Showcase is coming up and you could easily invent something in that time to earn yourself a full tuition scholarship also.”

“But I don’t  _ want _ that.” he said. “I love you, bro, I do but I-...” Here he took a deep breath because he knew that what he said next would hurt. “I want to be my own person. I don’t want to be compared to you anymore, Tadashi.”

His brother closed his eyes, pained by the reminder that Hiro had constantly been compared to him in high school- and had been found lacking in comparison. “You don’t have enough to pay for San Fransokyo Tech though.”

“No.” he answered, smirk forming. “But there is a chance for me to win a scholarship a week  _ after _ the Showcase.”

* * *

 

“Uh,” Wasabi started nervously as they took their seats in the audience. “Remind me why we’re here again- instead of, oh I don’t know, somewhere safer like the  _ Showcase!? _ ”

Tadashi barely glanced at his friend as he tried to find Hiro in the crowd below but Gogo answered. “Mini-Hamada wants to be seen as separate from Tadashi for all that the kid’s his baby brother, hence the botfighter tourney instead of the Showcase to win a scholarship.” The last word was accented by the pop of her gum.

“This is going to be  _ awesome! _ ” Fred cried enthusiastically, “It’s like a gladiator fight to the death! Only with, ya know, robots and scholarships!”

“So nothing like it?” Gogo questioned blandly.

Aunt Cass suddenly flopped down in the seat beside him, Honey Lemon taking a seat between Fred and Gogo, both of them laden with snacks. “I can’t believe this is a legitimate way to earn a scholarship! What if something goes wrong and Hiro ends up hrrmph-” the last word was cut off by a mouthful of candy being shoved into his aunt’s mouth.

“It’s amazing how much thought Hiro’s put into all this though!” Honey Lemon said. “Did you know that he’s already had an interview  _ and _ met with his counselor?”

Tadashi jerked to look at his friend, “What? How come  _ you _ knew about that and I didn’t?”

“I asked.” Honey Lemon blinked, something in his expression making her add, “You were preoccupied with helping him build his robot for the tournament.” 


End file.
